Review of Superman II (1980) by Alex S — 30 Aug 2011

Hailing from a time when the focus of comic book movies was on the fun and frolics of superhero life, rather than the gloom and torment, Superman 2 is a great adventure.

From the out set the film has that Saturday morning, adventure serial feel where the good guys where bright colours, the bad guys are instantly recognisable and good wins out over evil every single time. There's even a handy catch up montage made of clips from the original Superman movie just to get everyone up to speed.

Christopher Reeves is once again very likeable as Clark Kent/Superman, even if his disguise is still the naffest in superhero history. For many it's hard to imagine anyone else ever in this role, Reeves has made it completely his own and his performance is the one which will be forever associated with Superman. Margot Kidder, who really ought to be suing Courtney Cox for some sort of likeness rights infringement, is a very ballsy female lead for the time when the film was made and contrasts well with Reeves when he is either Clark or Kal-el.

In terms of plot, Superman 2 has the edge on its predecessor thanks to the untimely unleashing of Terence Stamp's General Zod and his hench folk from the their floaty prison as they arrive and want to conquer the Earth....naturally. The three new villains are memorable and add a much needed super villain element to the film to combine with Gene Hackman's scheming Lex Luthor. Hackman is a scream as Luthor, a snivelling weasel but who's charm ingratiates him with Zod and co as well as the audience.

Superman 2 is both exciting and funny. The script is well written and when required to deliver action, the film does so in a satisfying if unspectacular way, which is characteristic of the Superman series.

The film lacks a big finish which is a shame as a proper face off with General Zod and Superman never happens so the film feels to end on a whimper rather than the bang it should have.

Superman 2 would not see the light of day in the modern world of comic book movies, and if it did then the tone would likely be considerably darker and more violent. That movie might well be interesting to see but the current Superman 2 has lots to enjoy, it's wit, it's performances, it's good, old fashioned adventure style, just the way it is.